With A Little Help From My Friends
by Silent Sage
Summary: Mikan is stubborn. Natsume is overprotective. Their friends are supportive in their own ways. Series of drabbles.
1. Adding to The Noise

**With A Little Help From My Friends**

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice and anything related to it do not belong to me, but Higuchi Tachibana.

"I'm not on my feet."

"When the doctor said to take it easy, I don't think that included a stroll in the park."

"I'm currently sitting down." Mikan patted the worn wood of her bench fondly. It was a very comfy bench.

Tsubasa huffed. "Iincho's turns his back away from you for a moment and you manage to escape." He motioned toward the shadows in front of them due to the high afternoon sun, "I had to use my Shadow Alice to find you."

Mikan frowned and reached for her purse. "You could have called," she replied, withdrawing her cellphone from her purse and pointedly dangling it in front of his face.

After a moment of stunned silent, Tsubasa planted himself in defeat beside Mikan on her bench. He slumped on the bench. He was _not_ sulking.

This was Mikan Sakura. Naturally, she made everything even the simplest tasks could become difficult around her.

Mikan hummed thoughtfully, leaning against him. The warmth of her shoulder bled into his arm, making him involuntarily relax. "Thank you for worrying."

"Tch, you should name your kid after me then."

Mikan clutched her swollen belly, her shoulder quivering against his as she giggled. "He'll kill you."

"Who wouldn't want to be named after me?" Tsubasa threw an arm around her petite frame, pulling her close into a loose embrace. He smiled into her russet hair. "I'll be the best godfather this kid will ever have. It's basically a requirement to be named after me at this point."

A low voice from behind him growled, "Over my dead body."

"Uh." Tsubasa froze. He was the unborn kid's godparent for barely a day and he was already getting death threats.

From the father of the aforementioned kid, no less.

"Hey," Mikan grinned as Natsume sat on her other side.

Natsume made it a point to bat Tsubasa's arm away from her and replace it with his. He pulled her close, his hand a comforting warmth around her body. He squeezed her shoulders, his eyes skimming her frame for any noticeable discomfort.

Mikan was unbearably lucky to have this man in her life. She briefly touched the back of his hand with her fingers and smiled reassuringly. "You didn't have to check up on me."

"It's a nice day," Natsume stated lamely. He tightened his arm around her, his other hand straying to rest his palm against her stomach.

The baby gave a kick.

Natsume sent an appreciative smile toward her belly before pointedly glaring at Tsubasa, "I didn't want any unwanted stress to occur."

Tsubasa stuttered, making wild motions with his arms. "I was keeping Mikan company." He then wiped imaginary tears from the corners of his eyes. "I'm offended that you would think I would cause any harm toward my adorable godson."

Natsume opened his mouth to retort. His baby would not have a crazy, urchin haired godfather! That is, until Mikan lightly nudged Natsume's side, sending him a look that said, '_I'm pregnant, therefore I get whatever I want_.' He snapped his mouth shut.

He _had_ to marry a woman with worrisome tastes in godfathers.

Behind them, Tsubasa fistbumped into the air.

**SS**: So um, I'm not here. Nor did I write this fic. Because wow, three fics in one month? That's totally a record for me. haha


	2. That Was Then, This is Now

**With a Little Help From My Friends**

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice and anything related to it do not belong to me, but Higuchi Tachibana.

Hotaru always keeps an eye on her.

She's almost as worse as Natsume in the need to know where she is.

They're best friends after all.

Those months when Mikan was in the Middle School Principal's care, hidden behind his strongest barriers, has left the two almost neurotic in the need to know that she's close by; that they can find her with a phone call, a text, even a robotic bird.

Mikan obliges them.

Every response is filled with smiley faces, exclamation marks, an enthusiastic greeting, small chat, or a pat on the head for the poor robotic bird sent to find her.

She probably needs the reassurance just as much as them.

It's been going fine.

Except that one time when she disappeared.

Oh, it was only for a day.

Of course everyone freaked.

Mikan is...important. Not just as a friend, classmate, wife, but...she still has the Nullification/Stealing Alice. She is...

Dangerous.

Powerful.

_Precious_.

In so many different ways.

To many people.

Hotaru looks up from her newest invention and outright glares at him.

"Idiot."

He leaves, sparing a glance at the invention that she is so carefully crafting.

It's chick-shaped.

Natsume walks into their home. It's small: three bedrooms and one bath. It was only for the two of them after all.

He wonders how he could have missed it.

The dining room, watching Mikan nibble on a piece of dry toast. She said she had an upset stomach.

He walks up the stairs, disbelief that as much as he pays attention to Mikan, he ignores the important details.

He passes by the bathroom, a box with several white sticks haphazardly thrown in the wastebasket.

If he wasn't too occupied finding her, he would have smashed his head into a nearby wall for missing all the signs that Mikan was...Mikan is...

Natsume enters their bedroom. His pillow is missing from their bed.

He opens the closet door.

Large, tear-filled brown eyes owlishly look up at him. Mikan is curled into the corner, clutching at his pillow against her chest.

"I should've noticed."

Mikan buries her head against his pillow, shaking her head. He can already see tear stains drying from previous bouts of crying. "I...I didn't know how it happened. I-I'm sorr-"

She's cut off when Natsume drops to his knees, leaning foward forward to enfold her into a hug.

"I'm happy. So, so happy."

She bursts into more tears, throwing the pillow onto the ground and clutching Natsume close. She buries her face against his chest, the smell of sandalwood and maple trees surrounding her. She can feel a few tears dampen the crown of her head as Natsume buries her head into her hair. His hand, warm, strong, caring, is against her still flat stomach.

"We'll be happy."

Later that evening, they find on their dining room table is a chick-shaped stroller.

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**SS**: Still feeling like a slacker and writing drabbles. haha Hope y'all liked it. Random: I finally used one of The Monkee's songs as a title for a chapter! Whoo.


	3. Saltines Mean Love

**With A Little Help From My Friends**

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Mikan read the books.

Or at the very least, skimmed the pictures.

Sort of.

The pictures of her baby growing in her child, although interesting, only made her cringe more at the effects it would have on her body.

And the hormones.

The. Hormones.

Which segue to morning sickness.

Whoever called morning sickness, morning sickness was a flat-out liar.

Morning sickness was morning, afternoon, evening, and whenever the baby boycotted the sight, smell, or even the mention of food.

After the first week of throwing up and her stomach was settled enough that she could glance at a piece of food without running to the nearest bathroom, Hotaru, Nobaru, Nonoka, and Anna placed Mikan right in front of a line of food.

"We'll be testing out what the baby can and cannot eat."

It was simple food.

A baked potato.

Some apple sauce in a cute blue bowl.

A bowl of egg noodles from her favorite noodle joint down the street.

A little baked chicken with browned, crispy skin.

Some of Mikan's favorites.

Except she turned green and ran to the bathroom.

Natsume held the door open for her as she immediately bowed her head into the toilet, retching the orange juice she managed to drink earlier.

He shot a sympathetic look at her through the door. And then pointedly glared at the group of women as he passed by, a box of saltines in his hand, as he followed in after his wife.

Mikan leaned against the toilet bowl, her forehead pressed against the cool seat. Her chest heaving and her throat sore and scratchy and she seriously wondered how her mother managed to do it by herself.

She heard him as Natsume settled himself by her, his back to the sink. This was quickly becoming a routine. She sighed as a familiar hand, warm and comforting, gently rubbing her neck and back. His fingers unknotting the sores and aches she didn't know she had due to her constant stress and upheavals in the bathroom.

"I still blame you," Mikan stated, leaning into his shoulder when she was sure the baby wasn't going to cause her to throw up for the time being. She resignedly accepted proffered saltine, nibbling on the edge as she buried her head against his shoulder.

"I can live with that," Natsume replied, a hand on her stomach.

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**SS**: I updated. Yay. haha Review please! Reviews are like, pancakes to starving writers.


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